Chapter 7 Wait, I’m a WHAT?
Being back in the more civilized areas of Equestria, and less than half a day's march from the palace at Canterlot, the guard that night was much reduced. Yet no military unit ever completely drops its wariness. Boomer was still feeling restless, having always felt a certain level of tension at the end of a mission, before reporting. And rarely had he ever had to report directly to the Princess. As a way to deal with his excess nerves, and expecting to not sleep well, he volunteered for a guard shift in the middle of the night. The sergeant in charge of the patrol was rather surprised at Boomer's offer. "But sir, the platoon commander isn't required to stand guard. We all respected the fact that you felt compelled to stand last night to repay us for carrying you while you were injured. But you don't have to stand guard again tonight. I have plenty of junior ponies that can handle it."
Boomer was stunned. "What exactly were you told my rank was?"
"Princess Celestia herself told me that you were a Lieutenant Colonel, but to not make issue of it as your special skills were vital to the mission, and boy, was she ever right. I just wanted to thank you sir, before we got back and get swallowed up in ceremony." The sergeant saluted.
Boomer was floored. This explained much of how he had been treated on the journey. Yet, he couldn't figure out how he could have such rank. After the disaster that had been the last nightmare realm incursion, he had walked away from the military, hadn't he? He thought about how his former commander had set him up with the contract to create blast crystals for the military. Also, there was the odd way he had always insisted on having Boomer recite the oath of service each time the contract was renewed. Boomer thought back on the medal and commendation letter he had received after he had told his commander he was leaving. He realized he never actually read it. And his commander had been rather upset that Boomer had refused to go to the palace to receive them. He'd told Boomer how disappointed the princess had been that she'd been unable to personally reward him for his service. Had that letter actually been a commission to make him an officer? That would certainly explain a lot of the paperwork he'd been obliged to fill out and turn in constantly throughout the years. He vowed to look up his old commander when this was all finished. The old pony may be long retired, but surely he could answer Boomer's questions.
Boomer almost staggered back to his tent. Pinkie Pie had again rolled up the flaps between their tents. She looked up at him as he tried to get settled. Concern spread across her face, "Uh, are you okay?"
Dazed, he turned to her, "I'm not a sergeant..."
Pinkie's baffled expression should have been a clue, but he didn't say anything more. So Giggles walked around him and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "He just found out he's actually an officer, and he's still a little shocked."
Pinkie Pie's face lit up, "You're an officer? Congratulations!" And then she threw confetti and streamers in the air. Which, with them being inside a tent, bounced off the top and fell quickly to the ground.
This snapped Boomer out of his stupor. He glared at her, his old mannerisms fully back in place, "Really? I tell you something that totally changes how I think of myself, and you..." Boomer stopped dead, eyes wide with shock. "I didn't tell you I'm an officer..."
Pinkie Pie looked at him confused all over again, while Giggles just looked back at Boomer with pride, "I guess I'm getting better at this. Well, either that, or you're muttering what I'm supposedly saying, to perpetuate me as a delusion."
Pinkie seemed even more confused, looking around the tents for anypony else, suddenly realizing that there wasn't. "Um, Boomer, uh, who was just talking to you?"
Sighing, he looked over at her, "Do you want to hear what I know for certain, or what my best guess is?"
Pinkie Pie straightened up, "Is this going to turn into one of those discussions about reality verses our perception of it? Because Twilight tried explaining it once and I fell asleep AND got a headache."
Boomer actually snorted, "No, although, I probably would have been in the same boat with you on that one. I've never been one to dwell over much on the meaning of life." He paused, glancing over at his sister's ghost before continuing, "But something has changed that has me thinking more on it."
"You mean like seeing your sister's ghost?" Pinkie asked.
Boomer froze again, eyes wide, "You've seen her?"
Pinkie smiled, "No silly. Like I told you when you came to yesterday, you talk in your sleep. You babbled about her a lot."
Boomer flinched, babbling was never good. "Well, I'm still trying to decide if she's real, or I'm imagining her. However, I think you may be starting to hear her. That, or as she'd just pointed out to me, I'm muttering what she's supposedly saying to perpetuate my delusion."
Giggles blew a raspberry at him
Pinkie Pie again cocked her head, but her ears pivoted towards the side of the tents Giggles was on, not the side that Boomer was standing in. She opened her mouth to say something, but then seemed to think better of it, paused, thought it over, then said, "What do you think?"
Boomer thought long and hard, "I want her to be real, I'm afraid she isn't, but my heart tells me it's really her."
"So, treat her as if she's real until something proves absolutely that she isn't." Pinkie smiled at him.
"I have been. It's just..." he trailed off, as he looked over to his sister's ghost, tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry I got you killed, that I wasn't able to save you. I'm sorry your life was cut short. I'm sorry my last words to you here on Equestria were spoken in anger. Most of all, I'm sorry I wasn't a better brother to you, that I didn't treat you better, that I didn't tell you, I love you, nearly often enough." The last barely making it out of him through his choked sobs.
He wasn't sure just at what point he'd fallen to his knees, but he knew he lacked the strength to get back to his hooves. Then, he felt two sets of hooves wrap around his neck, in comforting hugs. Even through his sobs, he heard Pinkie Pie say, "You're very lucky to have a brother like him."
As well as Giggle's reply, "I know. Believe me, I know. And hopefully, he'll come to understand it as well."
Pinkie Pie's reply of, "I don't know. He's kind of stubborn. For all his big heart, he has a pretty thick head." froze him mid sob.
"You can hear her now?" He asked, astonished.
"Well, yeah. As you told her you were sorry, she became sort of visible. That was really sweet by the way."
The tears that followed freely now hardly bothered him.